When Exercise Goes Away, Fat Comes to Stay

OK, letís figure out whatís wrong with this picture: You come
home from a long dayís work, plop down on the couch, and spend
the evening motionless save for the workout your fingers get
flipping through stations with the remote. On a certain level,
thereís absolutely nothing wrong with the picture - you deserve
to relax and recline after your daily labors. But if it becomes
a nightly habit, youíre probably not spending enough time
on an important component of health and wellness: exercise.

Considerable evidence points to consistent physical activity
as a means of preventing obesity and its related complications,
including type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high
blood pressure. The exact cause of obesity remains elusive
in the vast majority of cases, although the results of this
study from the Annals of Internal Medicine point to
inadequate exercise as a culprit.

Researchers examined 970 healthy female twins and found that
physical activity (or lack thereof) predicted total-body and
central abdominal fat. These results were maintained when
considering other potential contributors to obesity, such
as age, diet, smoking, socioeconomic status, and use of hormone
replacement therapy (HRT). The authors also emphasized that
these benefits were apparent even in subjects with a strong
genetic preponderance toward obesity.

Your doctor of chiropractic can provide you with more information
on the benefits of consistent exercise and outline and diet
and fitness regimen suitable to your needs.